Court hearing for return of formal charges in STEM School shooting pushed to next Wednesday

DENVER – The two suspects in the STEM School Highlands Ranch shooting
will not appear in court on Friday as originally had been scheduled. The hearing in which they will learn the formal charges they face in the shooting was pushed until next Wednesday morning.

18th Judicial District Attorney George Brauchler had asked for the hearing to be held Monday
when the suspects made their first appearances on Wednesday but prosecutors, defense attorneys and the judge agreed on a 1:30 p.m. Friday hearing date.

He speculated at the time that investigators would need all the time they could get to finish their preliminary investigation and that prosecutors would be pushed to the deadline to bring formal charges against the adult and juvenile suspects.

The filing of charges hearing is now set for Wednesday at 10 a.m.

The adult suspect is being held for investigation on one count of first-degree murder after deliberation and 29 counts of attempted first-degree murder after deliberation.

He was among several students credited with being heroes
for charging one of the gunmen on Tuesday and perhaps helping prevent more casualties.

Another victim in the shooting was released Friday morning from Littleton Adventist, so just one victim of the shooting remains hospitalized. Littleton Adventist said the remaining victim remains in fair condition.

Investigators believe the suspects smashed into a locked gun cabinet
and stole the guns from the adult suspect’s parents before the shooting on Tuesday, a source told Denver7 on Thursday. Investigators are also looking into whether the armed private security guard might have fired toward responding deputies
and the school and if the guard or a deputy’s bullet ended up a striking a student at the school.

The juvenile suspect appeared in court Wednesday but has not been publicly identified by officials. Authorities said she was female, but sources with knowledge of the investigation, as well as the suspect’s attorney, said the suspect identified as male.

It’s still unclear whether the juvenile might face adult or juvenile charges in the shooting.

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